Setting at TOA 15: Why Real Estate is Ripe for Disruption

The real estate industry is in desperate need of a shake-up - especially in today’s Berlin. The traditional, outdated process of buying and renting commercial, retail and residential property has got to go. It’s time for the rigid world of Immobilien to embrace technology, flexibility, design. So we joined forces with Go-PopUp to pick apart this very topic. Together, we hosted a satellite event, part of the fourth Tech Open Air festival held in Berlin between the 15th and 17th July.

Billed as an ‘unconference’, this year’s event was its biggest yet, with 4,000 participants, 120 speakers and 140 satellite events. With pitches and talks from SoundCloud, Rocket Internet and Zalando on the program, as well as numerous lesser-known speakers, the event’s focus on collaboration is strongly reflected in the diversity of supporters and attendees. Bringing top-tier entrepreneurs, artists and scientists together, TOA is a magnet for innovators and tech fans. No wonder, then, that it’s known by many as the SXSW of Europe.

Held in the iconic Alte Teppichfabrik near Berlin’s Treptower Park, organisers encourage local startups and individuals to host satellite events in and around the city. And so we did. Along with our friends at Go-PopUp, we took over an old butcher’s shop in Kreuzberg and greeted a crowd of over 50 listeners and participators from across the real estate, urban planning, and startup industries. The focus: disrupting the process of buying, renting and letting residential, retail and commercial property in Berlin. 

Moderated by Caroline de Jager, creative director of Go-PopUp, the panel consisted of Andreas Krüger (belius), Marcus Lehrmann (Colliers), Andre Torkler (WunderAgent), Patrick Burkert (Go-PopUp) and Setting’s co-founder Johnathan Teh. From purchasing residential property to letting retail space, large-scale urban development to desks for individual freelancers, Berlin’s outdated real estate traditions were picked to pieces. And thoughts, ideas and visions for the future of Immobilien were plentiful.

First on the agenda was urban development. Having headed up the Modulor Projekt at Moritzplatz, Andreas opened by stressing the importance of usage over profit; “be the owner; usership creates value!” Patrick too highlighted the need for pop-up shop awareness, urging city councils to embrace the concept. Office spaces, stores and properties are left empty, he said, as landlords are not looking for innovation - they are seemingly unaware of the potential to earn a passive income this way. Caroline presented the approach in her native Holland, where local governments control empty properties and promote usership - a far more efficient procedure, it was agreed; “Why is the mayor of Kreuzberg not joining us for this very debate?”

When asked how technology will impact residential real estate, WunderAgent’s Andre highlighted a streamlining of the buying process and transparency within the marketplace. Johnathan extended this answer to commercial rental and purchase also, highlighting Setting’s simplified approach to office space renting;

Marcus, from international real estate agency Colliers, has found offices in both developments and existing properties for many of Berlin’s biggest names. Setting, on the other hand, work with early-stage firms looking for flexibility - for those whose growth rate and future requirements are less predictable. Despite the different focuses, both Johnathan and Marcus stressed the value of consulting professionals and agencies to make your commercial property search as easy as possible. “Young firms need to focus on what they do best - meddling in real estate should not be their priority,” highlighted Setting’s co-founder.

As our satellite event, and the Tech Open Air ‘unconference’ as a whole, wind down for another year, there remains the definite feeling that Berlin’s real estate industry is changing. Not as quickly as it should be, but there is movement, away from the traditional rigidity we’ve come to hate. As pop-up schemes and shared office spaces grow in popularity, the process through which users, owners and agents rent, buy, let and sell is slowly but surely becoming smoother and more straightforward and together, we’re bringing the Berlin real estate industry up to speed with the innovation it houses.

Attend the discussion or have any thoughts on the topic? Get in touch @worksetting and let us know what you thought!

More pictures of event. Photography: Filiz Serinyel